South Portland Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Wayne Sunderland, a/k/a "Sean Johnson," a/k/a "Thomas Butler," 32, of South Portland, Maine, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court by Chief Judge Nancy Torresen to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Sunderland pleaded guilty on July 9, 2015.

According to court records, on May 23, 2015, Johnson pulled alongside another vehicle with two occupants stopped at a traffic light located at the intersection of Payne Road and the Maine Turnpike Approach/Connector Road in Scarborough. Johnson fired a shot into the vehicle missing both occupants and lodging in the driver side door. He fled down Payne Road. A passing motorist reported the incident by calling 9-1-1. Scarborough police officers responded and located Johnson’s vehicle parked in a driveway a short distance away. Johnson was found and arrested hiding in nearby woods. A police K-9 led officers to Johnson’s firearm, a Glock nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol that was buried under leaves near his vehicle. Johnson was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a 2013 felony drug trafficking conviction in Maine.

The case was investigated by the Scarborough Police Department; and the Southern Maine Gang Task Force comprised of agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Portland, South Portland, and Lewiston Police Departments.